M1 Fined $25,000 for Failing IDA's 3G Outdoor Coverage Requirements

The Infocomm Development Authority (IDA) of Singapore today announced that it has completed its Q2 and Q3 2013 audits of the three mobile operators' performance for the Nationwide Outdoor Service Coverage. While all three operators' performance have improved, M1 failed to meet some of IDA's outdoor coverage requirements and was fined $25,000.

The tests conducted by IDA involve taking measurements at housing estates/town centres, outdoor recreational areas, above ground MRT tracks, and nation-wide drive tests. SingTel and StarHub have met IDA's Quality of Service (QoS) with performances of more than 99%.

IDA also conducted its first audit for In-Building Service Coverage where the three mobile operators met IDA's standards of more than 85% service coverage in most of the buildings audited. However, some mobile operators did not meet the QoS standard in some buildings.

The three mobile operators are given six months to improve service coverage in those buildings and IDA will audit the buildings with weaker signal coverage again in early and mid 2014. If the mobile operators fail to meet its standards, a penalty may be imposed.

All three mobile operators met IDA's standard of more than 95% service coverage for road and MRT tunnels although IDA cautions users that occasional connectivity issues may occur depending on the availability of mobile capacity.

Under the QoS framework, mobile operators may be subject to financial penalties of up to $50,000 per month for each instance of non-compliance for each indicator.